| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's athletics | ||
Representing  Nigeria | ||
| African Championships | ||
 | 2016 Durban | Discus throw |
 | 2016 Durban | Shot put |
| 2014 Marrakech | Discus throw |
Nwanneka Mariauchenna "Nikki" Okwelogu (born 5 May 1995) is a Nigerian track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and discus throw events. She was the 2016 discus gold medalist at the African Championships in Athletics. Born in the United States, she set Ivy League records in the throws while at Harvard University.
Born in Fresno, California to Nigerian parents, [1] Nikki attended Clovis West High School where she competed in both shot put and discus. [2] She went on to attend Harvard University from 2013 and competed for their Harvard Crimson track team. In her first year there she broke the Ivy League record in the discus with a throw of 53.31 m (174 ft 10+3⁄4 in) and set a school record in the shot put at 16.05 m (52 ft 7+3⁄4 in). [3] Her sister Nonny also became an Ivy League thrower, attending Princeton. [4]
The 2014 season saw her first national success with a shot put win at the Nigerian Athletics Championships. [3] She made her international debut that year. At the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics she competed in both the shot and discus and was a shot put finalist. [5] Her first medal followed shortly after at the 2014 African Championships in Athletics, where she was narrowly fourth in the shot put but comfortably took the discus silver medal behind Chinwe Okoro. At nineteen years old, she was the youngest entrant in those competitions. [6] She also competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games that summer, ending in ninth. [7]
She improved her bests in the 2015 season, adding more than a meter to her shot put with a throw of 17.32 m (56 ft 9+3⁄4 in) and having a discus best of 53.31 m (174 ft 10+3⁄4 in). [5] Her shot put best was an Ivy League record. She placed sixth at the 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. [3] The following year she reached her first collegiate podium with third place in the shot put at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships. She also was an NCAA Outdoor finalist, taking eighth. [8] [9]
Okwelogu established herself among Africa's best throwers at the 2016 African Championships in Athletics by taking the discus gold medal in a personal record of 56.75 m (186 ft 2+1⁄4 in), which helped Nigeria to a sweep of the medals alongside 2014 champion Okoro and Chioma Onyekwere. [10] She also claimed the shot put silver medal behind Cameroon's Auriol Dongmo. [11]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | World Junior Championships | Eugene, United States | 11th | Shot put | 14.77 m |
| 6th (q) | Discus throw | 49.07 m | |||
| Commonwealth Games | New Delhi, India | 9th | Shot put | 15.13 m | |
| African Championships | Marrakech, Morocco | 4th | Shot put | 15.14 m | |
| 2nd | Discus throw | 51.66 m | |||
| 2016 | African Championships | Durban, South Africa | 2nd | Shot put | 17.07 m |
| 1st | Discus throw | 56.75 m | |||
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 29th (q) | Shot put | 16.67 m |
Vivian Peters-Chukwuemeka is a retired Nigerian shot putter and two-time Olympian. She won the gold medal in the shot put at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and has won three consecutive titles at the All-Africa Games from 1999 to 2007. She was the African Champion in the event in 2002, 2006 and 2008. She also competes in discus throw and hammer throw, but not on world level.
Ryan Keith Whiting is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and has a personal record of 22.28 meters outdoors and 22.35 meters indoors. His biggest international senior success to date is first place at the 2012 World Indoor Championships. He represented the United States at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, 2013 World Championships in Athletics, 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2012 London Olympics.
Tia Ra'shone Brooks is an American shot putter. In 2011, she placed second in the shot put at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. In 2012, she won both events before competing at the US Olympic Trials. At the Trials, she placed third in the shot put and qualified to represent the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She placed 19th at the Olympics. Also in 2012, she was a Bowerman Award semifinalist.
Timothy "Tim" Nedow is a Canadian track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and discus throw. He has personal bests of 21.33 m in the shot put and 61.49 m in the discus throw. He was the bronze medalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2013 Francophonie Games and a five-time champion of the Canadian Track and Field Championships. He has also competed at the World Championships in Athletics, in 2013, and twice at the Summer Universiade. He studied and competed athletically at the University of Tulsa and DePaul University.
Gunnar Alexander Huseby was an Icelandic track and field athlete who competed in the shot put and discus throw events. He won consecutive gold medals at the European Athletics Championships in 1946 and 1950, becoming Iceland's first European champion in athletics. This placed him among the country's first top international sportsmen, following its independence in 1944. He remains the only Icelandic athlete to win two European athletics titles.
Simon Alexander Williams is a male British former shot putter and discus thrower. He was the gold medallist in the shot put at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. He also represented Great Britain in the discus at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics and the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Gu Siyu is a Chinese track and field athlete who competes in the discus throw and formerly the shot put. She holds a discus personal best of 67.86 m and a shot put best of 16.59 m. She was a double Asian junior champion in 2010 and represented her country at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics.
David Lorne Steen is a Canadian former track and field athlete who specialised in the shot put. He was a two-time gold medallist in the event at the Commonwealth Games in 1966 and 1970, breaking games records both times. He had won the bronze medal at the 1962 event. His personal record was 19.21 m, set in 1970.
Jordan Michael Clarke is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the shot put. He holds a personal record 21.49 m for the event, set in 2015. He was the gold medalist at the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival. Clarke was third at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2015.
Auriol Sally Dongmo Mekemnang is a Cameroon-born Portuguese track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and discus throw. She represented Cameroon at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the World Athletics Championships in 2015. At continental level, she was a two-time gold medalist at both the African Games and the African Championships in Athletics.
Alena Vasilyeuna Abramchuk, née Kapiets is a Belarusian track and field athlete who competes in the shot put. She was the bronze medallist at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Her personal best is 19.24 m, set in 2013.
Chinwe Okoro is a Nigerian track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and the discus throw. She is a three-time African champion and holds the Nigerian record for the discus throw at 59.79 m.
Stephen Ogochukwu Mozia is a US-born Nigerian shot putter. He is a three-time African Championships Bronze medallist. He also represented his country at the 2014 and 2016 World Indoor Championships, as well as the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Raven "Hulk" Saunders is an American track and field athlete who competes in shot put. They were the silver medalist in women's shot put at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, throwing a distance of 19.79 m. They won four NCAA collegiate titles in shot put, both indoor and outdoor, at Southern Illinois University and University of Mississippi. They were a world junior silver medalist in 2014 and the Pan American junior champion in 2015. Saunders finished 11th in women's shot put at the 2024 Paris Olympics, throwing a distance of 17.79 m. They hold a personal record of 19.96 m for the shot put.
Felisha Nayomie Johnson is an American track and field athlete who specialises in the shot put. She was the 2015 national indoor champion in the weight throw. She won two NCAA collegiate titles in that event for the Indiana State Sycamores.
Chioma Chukwujindu "CiCi" Onyekwere is a track and field athlete specializing in the discus throw. Born in the United States, she represents Nigeria. She has competed in the shotput and discus throw both on the collegiate and international levels. She holds the African and Nigerian record for the discus throw. Her personal best of 64.96 meters for the discus throw was achieved in 2023.
Janeah Stewart is a student-athlete on the University of Mississippi women's track and field team. The four event thrower from Illinois, was awarded All-American status her first three years of college. Janeah Stewart's winning weight throw of 23.18m/76-0.75 broke the SEC meet record that had stood since 2004 and moved her up to No. 1 in the nation this year and No. 6 in NCAA history.
Navjeet Kaur Dhillon is an Indian track and field athlete who competes as a Discus thrower. Her current world ranking in the Women's Discus Throw category is 46, and in the Women's Overall ranking is 4165. She was the bronze medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, with her final throw of 57.43 m and became the second Indian to win a medal at the World Junior Championships in Athletics in 2014. She holds a personal best of 59.18 m, set in 2018 in Indian Grand Prix in February, 2018.
Princess Kara is a Nigerian discus thrower. She won both the National Championships and the African Under 20 Championships in 2019. Her personal best is 50.07 m.
Yerilda Alexandra Zapata Rodríguez is a Venezuelan athlete who specializes in discus throw. She set the Venezuelan national junior records in both discus and shot put.
African Champions in women's discus throw | |
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